A Spare Lighter
by Herdo
Summary: This is a short and shitty fic about Roman thinking about stuff after his favorite lighter is stolen by Emerald and a talk after that between him and Adam, a member of the White Fang. Happens after S1,V2,E1.


**A Spare Lighter**

* * *

_Roman sighed as the trio started walking away before he pulled out one of his cigars and then reached into his pocket for his lighter. Only to find it empty. He checked two of his other regular pockets before he looked up and saw Emerald smirking at him as his favorite lighter had been ignited with a bright flame in her hand. And then she stack out her tongue as a mocking gesture before closing the lighter and followed her companions…_

* * *

…Roman waited for another minute until he was certain that the trio had left the warehouse, before he reached into one of his hidden pockets and pulled out another of his lighters.

This spare lighter was not as nicely designed as his now lost favorite one, but it served its purpose and soon he felt the relaxing smoke in his lungs from the now lit cigar.

"…_Clear out the building, eh? This mysterious plan of yours is giving off some seriously bad vibes…"_

Roman blew out some smoke and then walked into one of the offices of the building, where a young man clad in a custom fit suit studied some logistics documents through the thin eyeholes of his red and white mask.

"Adam! I'm glad you're still here!"

The man looked up at the criminal.

"…Mr. Torchwick. It's a pleasure to see you as well."

"Hah, good one! You faunus folks might be weird and creepy but at least you have humor!"

A grimace of anger flashed across the high ranked member of the White Fang before it was replaced with his usual aloofness. He had clearly been insulted by that comment.

"…Mr Torchwick, may I request that you keep such immature comments to yourself? This 'partner agreement' of ours is not permanent and some of our more… _radical_ members could feel offended and might retaliate against you personally in the future."

"No, I won't. None of you like me and I don't like anyone of you either, which is a fact that is so well-known that it is a waste to attempt to hide it. Face it, you guys like this honesty between me and you. So many humans and peace agreements and yet so many lies… It must be refreshing to receive some real honesty, right, even if it is still negative?"

"…That is correct, but it is still irritating to hear it. But never mind that, what business brings you to me?"

Roman smoked on his cigar for some moments while he studied the faunus.

"…Our great leader came to me with an order: "_Have the White Fang clear out this building._" Apparently we are moving to phase 2 of her mysterious plan, since she will send me details and coordinates later tonight."

"That can be arranged without any problems. But why informing me personally about this?"

"I'll get to that. But first things first: Are we talking in private?"

"Yes. Lady Cinder and her lackeys are skilled and powerful but this room is beyond their control or influence. No one can see or hear our conversation."

"Excellent. Now, the reason why I am here, in front of you personally, is because I have a feeling in my guts that this mysterious plan of hers is seriously bad news. It is always a sign of bad news when your partner or boss is not willing to inform you of what exactly the plan is about. And since we've been gathering tons of Dust, then I suspect that a lot of people will be killed."

"And this surprises you? They have clearly no honor in them, just like you."

"Heh, nice jab. But yeah, this is just my gut speaking. But I know that when your criminal partner is planning potential genocide, then they see no value for the lives of those they work with. I, incidentally, end up in that category."

"So you believe they will betray you?"

"Exactly! When I am no longer useful to them, then they will kill me without hesitation. I, obviously, intend to spite them, since I like living."

"And this is where we come in?"

"Yes, that is my hope. When they decide that I am not worth keeping around, then how about I teaming up with you guys, the White Fang, for real?"

"What do you mean 'for real'? Our goals are clearly different, and a _human_ aiding us will not improve the odds of us fulfilling our long term goals."

The word '_human_' oozed disdain from Adam's lips.

Roman chuckled.

"You're not looking at this with an unbiased eye. In case you've forgotten or not noticed: I am _useful_. Trust me, the White Fang will benefit greatly from teaming up with me, Roman Torchwick."

Adam was silent for a moment.

"…Why are you telling me all of this?"

Roman sighed and then pulled up the note with the address from his pocket and laid it on the table.

Adam looked at it and then snarled.

"Why do you have this address!?"

"…I snatched it from Emerald earlier. She and Mercury took matters into their own hands today and they claim that they've killed him."

Adam looked like he would protest but the words died before leaving his mouth and he sat down, suddenly feeling exhausted.

"…I'm sorry."

Roman knew that his words did not carry much value into the ears of faunus but he tried at least to show his sincerity.

"…He was supposed to live. A majority of the elders had already approved on his retirement. Why? Why was he still in the Vale?"

"He had apparently packed some bags and gotten a ticket to Vacuo. I'd guess he felt it was too easy and thus tried to remain as long as he could, to avoid any potential traps."

"…Yeah, that sounds like him. He was always so careful, so mistrusting. To think that folly would lead to his death."

"I tried to delay it as long as I could. I had an excuse at least, due to the excessive gathering of Dust that I was assigned to, and it was a shame in my opinion that he didn't take the chance while he could."

"…Thank you for this. Delivering the news to me, I mean. He was a comrade, and I'll honor his memory."

"That's good to hear. And this is my other concern. Since I don't doubt that they will try to kill me, then they might consider doing the same to the White Fang when they think you guys are of no more use to them. Do you get what I'm implying?"

Adam stood up and turned to the banner that hung on the wall. The wolf and the scratches had been painted with real human blood. He studied it in silence for a few minutes before he finally spoke:

"…I cannot make any promises, but I'll at least discuss the topic with the elders. If luck is with you, then you'll end up as our first _real_ human ally. But can you at least answer some questions of mine, before we start clearing out the building?"

"Sure, hit me."

Adam studied the calm criminal.

"Why are you making your moves now? Wouldn't it be wiser to try at a later date, when there are more hints or proof of their potential betrayal?"

Roman chuckled.

"That's easy. First, I might be dead by then and second…"

He toyed with the spare lighter in his pocket.

"…When it comes to plans, it is always good to have at least a spare, right?"

Adam was silent for some moments while he contemplated the answers, before he smirked.

"I agree. Now then, let's clear out this building!"

And then the duo exited the office together, while both thinking about the mysterious plan and what Cinder and her lackeys were _truly_ after…


End file.
